alklay
Senior Member
US, you should take up reading thread carefully as I never said that most of the planet's most beautiful urban parks are in NY.
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- Thread starter Ladies Mile
- Start date
Ladies Mile
Active Member
I literally cannot think of another that is smaller that is in anywhere near as good shape.
Washington is currently a bit of a mess, although they are improving it.
Madison is a bit incoherent in plan.
Union Square is a disaster.
alklay
Senior Member
Just like the fact that the surroundings of Bryant Park are hideous? Alrighty then!
Ladies Mile
Active Member
It's my opinion. Feel free to disagree.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
You really should take up reading your own posts carefully, since you claimed that not only is Bryant Park "one of the most beautiful urban parks on the planet" but that "the city is full of even smaller wonders of equal beauty". "Full of", gosh - where does such hyperbole leave the rest of the planet?
Back to Toronto ... and I think that if we're branching out from discussing T.O's architectural distinctiveness to include the many small urban parks around town, we should add our magnificent ravine system into the mix - the democratically available green spaces that also define our uniqueness.
Ladies Mile
Active Member
I think the majority of the world's parks are democratically available if you're talking about ones the size of the ravine system.
kool maudit
Active Member
there is clearly some strange reverse snobbery going down here. poor old peter ustinov -- his widely misunderstood insult is finally set to fall out of favour!
Ladies Mile
Active Member
How is that a bad thing?
alklay
Senior Member
Anyone who speaks the Queen's language understands that the sentence does not even come close to excluding other parks. Talk about hyperbole!
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Oh yes, though the sheer size of that system contributes to Toronto's character - the Don Valley creates a breathing space close to the urban core that sets up the east end as a place somewhat apart, for instance. And as the spine of downtown highrise buildings extending north along Yonge Street has expanded outwards that sense of the Valley as a visual break has grown. The effect of suburban sprawl in the '50s, 60s and '70s, the timing of such boom periods here compared to other cities, the extent to which low rise or high rise construction was part of the various booms that have taken place, the spatial implications of planning guidelines that AnnetteMeetsJane referred to earlier ... all define us.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Hyperbole it is since you don't define what you mean by "full of".
How many? Where are they?
Ladies Mile
Active Member
I agree, inasmuch as natural topography is always an individual characteristic of cities in general. However I think our smaller parks are much more part of who we have chosen to be--if that makes sense.
To be frank, the Don Valley could use some work. It is neither a pristine wonderland nor an architecturally finished major space like Central Park.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Well, I think the work has been under way for a while - "Bring Back the Don" etc. starting with all those tree plantings in Riverdale Park East some 20 years ago. There's more attention being paid to the Valley - the spiffy car dealerships that have been built in recent years suggest that. And new condos - built and as yet in the planning stages - are addressing it too.
adma
Superstar
Strange; a lot of judgment over time has dwelt upon Grace being a narcissistic urban villain relative to Bryant Park. (Oh, and it's early 70s, not 60s.) So for you to be knocking the so-called hideousness that surrounds Bryant Park while embracing Grace seems a little upsy-downsy, here...
Tewder
Senior Member
Urban parks in Europe often feel uncomfortable to me, with gravel paths, lack of grass for sprawling, and everything formal and manicured. Not to say I don't like them, or that I wouldn't love to see such an example in Toronto around the Grange perhaps, but only that it's nice to see a diversity of park and garden design to enjoy.